Pass 300-625 DCSAN Certification Exam Fast

300-625 Exam Has Been Retired

This exam has been replaced by Cisco with new exam.

Cisco 300-625 Exam Details

The Cisco 300-625 exam is a professional-level test for candidates looking to ascertain their mastery in areas bordering data center networking solutions. To be more precise it checks your skills in working with the Cisco MDS 900 Series Switches. Passing this test leads you to obtaining two certifications, which are CCNP Data Center and Cisco Certified Specialist - Data Center SAN Implementation. The exam is designed to certify data center system engineers, data center field engineers, data center architects, technical decision-makers, field engineers, service administrators, network managers, network architects, and Cisco integrator professionals.

300-625 DCSAN Certification Exam Overview

So, 300-625 DCSAN exam prepares aspirants for senior job roles in data center technologies. It validates the aspirant’s depth of knowledge and skills in working with Cisco MDS 900 Series Switches and checks how proficient you are in their management, troubleshooting, deployment, and implementation.

Taking and passing 300-625 exam will avail you the opportunity to earn two certifications, one of which is CCNP Data Center. Still, the exam is not standalone this certificate, as it has to be paired with the core exam first, coded as 350-601 (Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Core Technologies). To add more, there are no prerequisites in taking this test, what you should be ready for is to know the exam topics and have 3-5 years of experience in implementing data center solutions.

300-625 DCSAN Exam Details

The exam consists of multiple choice questions, drag, and drop, and testlets and it is advisable to critically peruse your answer to a given question, as you will not be able to go back to make changes. Candidates are required to attempt the test questions within the 90 minutes slated for the exam. As for the exam price, 300-625 will cost you $300. The registration for the test as well as all the rest Cisco exams is done via Pearson VUE.

Note, that there is no standard passing score for the exam. It is determined by statistical analysis and is subject to change with each exam. In cases where a retake is needed, the candidate has to wait for five days, starting from the day of the last futile attempt before taking a retest. Though if you study all the options and materials recommended by the vendor, you’ll definitely pass this Cisco exam and will earn the certification that is valid for 3 years.

Cisco 300-625 Exam Topics

Exam 300-625 covers an array of topics that are grouped under four major categories:

  • Deployment: This section of the syllabus emphasizes on the deployment and maintenance of data centers together with its network infrastructure. The candidate should know the details of installation and setup of emerging network operating systems (NX-OS) that powers the data centers. The knowledge of the data network management platform (DCNM) that enables the deployment of network operating systems is also needed. Also, having a firsthand knowledge of the POAP feature that automates the process of upgrading software images for the first time is a plus for the candidate.
  • Implementation: This section is focused on using the Fiber Channel port channels & protocol services. You should have profound skills in understanding the complexities of VSANs, NPV, NPIV, device alliances, zoning, and their application in the configuration of fiber channels. Besides, you should also be well-conversant with implementing Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE). To be more precise, you should have a decent grasp of FIP, ETS, PFC and LLDP.
  • Management and Monitoring: In this exam domain, you should know in details the alignment of existing and new technology solutions to meet up with a data Center's needs. A key understanding of the integration deployment of SAN analytics into existing MDS 9000 switch series is required. Knowing how to use DCNM, and SAN insights for slow drain analysis is vital. Here, it is essential to demonstrate your skills in the restrictions of network access to individuals within a data center, based on the basis of their roles. You should be able to identify the rules, and the different levels of Role Based Access (RBAC).
  • MDS Troubleshooting: The last section emphasizes on the troubleshooting of Multilayer Data Switch operating systems. The candidate should know in detail, the features of the Fiber Channel domains including its reconfiguration functions as stated in the FC-SW-2 standards. A sound knowledge of the different categories and causes of zone, zone set issues, zone merge failures, can be helpful to the candidate. More important is knowing the troubleshoot checklist peculiar to zoning and engaging with the appropriate tools to solve them. You should know how to solve Cisco Switch problems that may arise on booting or upgrading the operating system to a newer version.

Career Opportunities

Being CCNP Data Center certified, you can opt for such job positions as network technician or data engineer. Having more experience, you can be employed into senior data engineering roles and regarding the salary, you can earn annually from $49,121 to $131,019.

Career Path

After earning the CCNP Data Center certification you can upgrade your skills and obtain the expert-level certification CCIE Data Center. It implies that you’ve passed 350-601 exam and need to sit for the lab exam, coded CCIE Data Center v3.0. The other option you can choose is to expand your area of knowledge and to gain the certification in the domain that lies in your sphere of interest. Thus, you can choose any certification in the professional level, such as CCNP Enterprise, Security, Collaboration, to name a few.